Americans continue to Work Hard

Over the holiday weekend you probably heard a lot of the same nonsense that I heard. Here is a sampling:

“Americans just don’t want to get dirty anymore.”

“Nobody wants to do physical labor these days. You young guys can’t take the heat of August or the frozen boots of January.”

“Nobody wants to sweat anymore. Everyone wants to play on the internet in air-conditioned offices, and then they bitch the jobs are gone.”

“Nobody is willing to take the risk anymore. You want to make money, real money, you have to step out on the ledge and announce your willingness to be knocked down. People just want a job to be given to them.”

“Business owners have had enough. They are folding their tents and retiring. I don’t blame them.”

All of these ideas carry the same underlying beliefs of fear and laziness. This is nonsense. This is bullshit. In fact, please allow me to help you respond to the next person who starts down this path in conversation. Here is your script:

John Smith: “Americans just don’t want to get dirty anymore.”

You: “Bullshit.”

Susie Smith: “People are tired of the fight. The economy is beating them down.”

You: “Bullshit.”

John Smith: “Nobody wants to wake-up early, strap on the boots, and make it happen anymore.”

You: “Seriously guys, BULLSHIT.”

Most of this talk is simply projection from the person spewing it, but it is time we all stop letting it stand. Small businesses are opening, expanding, and earning every day. I have spent the last six months working with service-oriented businesses, and you should know, people are working hard and enjoying every minute of it.

People of all generations, races, and cultures are knocking down wall after wall. You are making it happen. You are listening, sharing, learning, sweating, pushing, and smiling. You are climbing the winding staircase. If you want your friends to start believing in their dreams again, confront them. One word is all it takes for them to slow their pessimism and reconsider. Solidify their respect for you, call them on this bullshit.